Illusions and Spells
by Platinum692
Summary: Anna has what some call a 'sixth sense.'For that matter, she has many of them. She doesn't understand them. When they lower her mood, her bestfriend Clark drags her to a club,where she meets Dimitrius, who has the answers to her questions...and more.
1. Return

**Hey, It's Athena. This is a new story I'm writing. I know this chapter is confusing, but don't worry :P It will get better. Thanks for reading!**

Chapter One

"Anna!" Clark yells as he bounds up to my locker, burrowing past the people standing in the hallway. I laugh as I shut my locker.

"What's so important?" I ask him, smiling.

His light brown hair is swept to the side of his face, sticking in sweat. His long, skinny legs were shaking in his jeans and his blue t-shirt was baggy. His alabaster skin was sheen, glistening drops of sweat threatening to fall over his cheeks. His dark ocean blue eyes were shining as they looked over me.

"Did you just come back from track practice?" I ask slyly. He nods his head, breathing heavily.

I smack his shoulder. "Go home and change!"

"No," he breathes.

I roll my eyes. "Fine. What's up?"

He holds his finger up to stop me. I purse my lips tightly as he catches his breath.

"Okay," He breathes, gaining control of his breathing. "I was wondering if you had our history homework. I forgot to do it."

I laugh. Clark was always forgetting his homework. "Let me see," I say, counting in my head the academic classes I shared with him. "Do you also need our Calculus and English homework too?"

He scowls. "Maybe the Calculus. But I'll get it from someone else."

"Okay. Here, let me get the worksheet for history out. It's not too hard. Just give it back to me at lunch, okay? I have English right after."

He nods his head and tears the paper from my hands as I fish it out of my backpack. "Jerky much?" I mutter. He ignores me.

"Thanks Anna. See you at lunch." He pecks me on the cheek and runs off towards his first period class. I laugh.

Clark and I weren't dating, but we had been close friends since kindergarten. Almost biological twins, so to speak.

I had had sleepovers with Clark many times before. It wasn't awkward because I was a girl and he was a guy. We were just really good friends. We would share the same bed and I would huddle up towards him, because he was always so warm.

But we were no more than friends. I had made that clear, and he knew it. Although I had a nagging feeling that he wanted it to be more, I wouldn't let it be.

I wasn't ready for a relationship, not yet.

The bell rang through the hallway, dragging me out of my thoughts. I jumped slightly and ran towards science. I had to push my way through the scattering people that were scrambling through the hall. Since I was fairly small in height and weight, I got pushed around a lot.

I pushed open the science door quickly and sprinted to my seat as Mr. Banks started his lesson. Luckily, his back was turned when I ran in, so I had a safe sprint to my seat before he saw me reaching into my bag to retrieve my notebook and pencil.

"Today I'm going to go over the theory of DNA," Mr. Banks droned in his scratchy, low voice.

Mr. Banks was a stout, short man. His head was balding with only a few light, wispy hairs falling here and there. His round glasses magnified his gray eyes, almost enough to give him the appearance of a bug. Mr. Banks wasn't the fittest man, but he wasn't incredibly overweight.

He trotted around the room, passing out papers to the class. When he got to my table, I saw a diagram of DNA.

This was going to be a hard unit to learn.

~*&&&*~

I was gasping in relief as I stumbled out of the science room. None of the class had understood a word Mr. Banks said. He wasn't what you would call the best teacher.

I look down at my folded schedule to see my next class was English. I actually didn't mind English. Our teacher, Ms. Flow, was spontaneous and slightly crazy. Her class was always interesting.

When I reached the classroom, I looked around for Clark. He was sitting in the back row in the corner. I smile at him as he waves and walk back towards him.

Setting down my bag, I rummage for a piece of gum. I find a large pack of minty Trident.

"Can I have a piece?" Clark asks, his blue eyes turning large and round. I laugh and throw a piece at him. He scrambles to catch it.

"Are you finished with my history sheet?" I ask, looking up at him.

He shakes his head. "I couldn't finish it in Art. Mr. Todd kept snapping at me 'to put away the work and start creating art.'"

I smirk. "Of course."

Ms. Flow walks into the room, her kimono flowing around her ankles.

Ms. Flow was tall and her golden brown hair flowed down to her shoulder blades. Her green eyes were startling as they sat on her white face. Although Ms. Flow was American, she loved wearing different types of culture clothing.

I guess today was a kimono. It was a dark blue with red vines spiraling around it, dark seams of petals shimmering in and out of sight.

"Hello, my young friends," Ms. Flow coos. We mumble replies of 'hi' and 'uh-huh' back to her.

Ms. Flow stops in her tracks, a frown forming on her lips. "We don't seem very enthusiastic today, hm? Or are we just not excited for my class?"

"Hello, Ms. Flow," We say louder. It felt like we were in 2nd grade all over again, although we were in 10th.

"We are going to go over Shakespeare's main paradox in the play 'Hamlet' today, okay?"

I perk up. I only minded grammar days in English. Although, from the corner of my eye, I saw Clark groan and put his head in his hands.

"Who can tell me what we interpret to be the theme in this play?" Ms. Flow says, her words spilling out of her mouth.

I raise my hand.

"Anastasia?" She calls to me. I put down my hand and am about to explain, but the illusions come over me.

My eyes roll into the back of my head as my mouth pries open. My head lolls back. I am dimly aware of my hands rising above my head.

I knew this wasn't me, but I couldn't stop them. They were just too much.

"Anastasia?" Ms. Flow calls. I don't answer.

My body trembles slightly.

"Shit, Anna," Clark growls. "Already? It's only 2nd period and you're already having a 'ghost moment.'"

I don't really hear his comment, though. My mind and body are off in my own, small bubble.

I see a man leaning against a dim wall as strobe lights fall over his face. He was amazingly handsome, and his dark hair cascaded around his face. A beat pulsed around as hands fell over his chest. Millions of hands…

I tried to figure out where he was and soak in his look, but a warm, rough hand shook my arm as my eyes fluttered open to stare Clark in the eye.

"Back down to earth, Anna?" He asks in a low voice. I nod my head slightly.

I turn towards Ms. Flow, who is staring at me. But when I give her the look that told her what happened, she shook it off. All of my teachers knew I would get 'out of it' sometimes, falling into my own world.

"Great, she's out of the seizure," I hear one kid murmur on the other side of the room.

I spin my head around to glare at him and he immediately turns to face forward in his desk.

Ms. Flow clears her throat. "Well, can anyone tell me what the main theme of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" is, class?"

I groan quietly and lay my head on the cold desk.

The illusions were back.


	2. Flashback

**Here is Chapter two. I know it's short, but hey. Hope you like it!**

Chapter Two

I nearly sprinted out of the school when the day was over. I had to get away from everyone; even Clark.

The illusions had started when I was nine. They were so terrifying, so extremely weird, I didn't even know why I had them. I had wanted to go to the doctors for it, to test for seizures, but my grandma wouldn't let me.

I lived with my grandmother. My parents had died in a plane wreck when I was three. Ever since then, I had lived with my grandmother.

I ducked around the parking lot bend and hopped over a wooden fence, my feet making a large thud on the soft damp earth beneath me. I looked around before jogging through the forest.

I had always come home this way. I loved it. I felt so at home here, so peaceful. The green ferns would sigh in my wake, swaying in the light wind that caressed their limbs. The dry, bristle trunks of the tress softened against my touch. The small animals in the forest would snicker happily as I sped by. I would catch a glimpse of a rabbit family from time to time as they cleaned their young ones. Their soft, fluffy fur would lay on them like clouds.

The chipmunks chirped quietly and skittered up and down trees, bickering lightly with the squirrels. The crickets would sing happily and play their own tunes, meshing into an orchestra. The deer would stand still in my wake, nuzzling their noses to my shirt when I rubbed their muzzles. The fawns would prance through the debris and leaves happily, bouncing and leaping through the air.

If I could choose a home, it would be here.

Slowing down to a walk, my mind drifted back to English class.

The illusions had stopped for a few weeks. Why had they come back?

They were an out-of-body out-of-world experience, sending me into a whole other dimension. Sometimes I heard what others were thinking in this state. Sometimes I hear a language that wasn't real, yet somehow, I understood. Sometimes, I would see people going on with their daily lives.

The scariest one of the visions was when I saw the future. I remember the first time it happened. Clark's grandfather was sick.

I had dozed off into an illusion. By then, I knew I had these, but I had never seen the future.

_My eyes had rolled into the back of my head as I was sitting on Clark's bed. _

_His grandfather had been hooked up to an oxygen tank and laid on a hospital bed. His frail, translucent skin was clinging onto him barely. I could see the blue veins underneath his doughy skin. His eyes were fluttering, fighting to stay open as they stared around him. The filmy eyes were a deep blue like Clark's, except they were fading over into a light, cloudy grey. Tears creased in his eyes as his breathing struggled. The heart monitor beside him beeped quickly to the tempo of his heart thrumming. _

"_No, grandpa. Don't leave." I saw Clark, his light blonde hair shagging over his ten year-old face. Tears dripped down his round cheeks. _

"_I.." he coughed. "Tell your family.." he couldn't get a sentence out without flying into a fit of coughs. "Love them….love you." With a last round of coughs, his grandfather closed his eyes, shakily taking a few last breaths. _

"_No grandpa! No! You can't leave me!" Young Clark shouted as some nurses grabbed his arms and towed him backwards. Clark thrashed. "Grandpa!"_

_The vision had ended there, and my eyes had rolled back to my ten year-old face. I sat up, shaking and covered in hot drops of sweat. _

"_Anna, what's wrong?" Clark asked. _

_I trembled violently and tucked myself under the sheets again, lying my head down to stare at my best friend. _

"_Your grandfather. He….he's died."_

_Clark laughed. "Anna, it was just a dream. My grandfather is fine." _

Five days later, his grandfather was a dead doornail.

I shiver at the memory.

There were other types of illusions, too, that happened to me.

When I was outraged, my fingertips would tingle, a flaming burning creeping up my fingers. I swear a few times that I had seen sparks on the tips. At the times I was undoubtedly depressed or sad, the sky would darken and rain would patter down. Sometimes, my fingers would turn to mush, just like a blob of muck. Other times, when I needed someone to tell the truth and they were lieing, I would squeeze my eyes shut and immediately they would blurt out the truth.

Oddly, though, this had never worked on my grandma. She had always been able to defend against that.

On some days, I didn't feel human at all. I would skip school and sprint through the woods all day, never stopping. The hair on the back of my neck would bristle when I heard a twig snap or a twitter in the bushes. I almost got down on all fours and started running on those days. I wouldn't get home until two in the morning on those days, and I wouldn't eat a thing.

But the illusions only got worse from there.

I could trick people into thinking what I wanted them to think. I could make them choose radical, idiotic decisions at any time I wanted. I could call an animal to my service, see clearly in the dark, on a bad day hear people's thoughts, and the night, even though I was sixteen, scared the living dead out of me when I wasn't in one of those 'not human' days.

I shoved the illusions away from my mind. I didn't want to think about them. I wanted to believe I was in a nightmare, that I would wake up soon.

Sadly, this wasn't a nightmare, I wasn't dreaming, and I had absolutely no idea what was going on.

Thunder claps its hands overhead as rain falls on the canopy above me.

I run the rest of the way home, drenching myself in the salty tears of the sky.


	3. My Big Mistake

Et voila! Here it is!

Chapter Three

When my key to the apartment finally clicked in the hole, I tromped through the door as my clothes fell over me like used rags.

"Anna? Is that you?" Grandma calls from the kitchen.

"Yes, Gran." I say while kicking off my shoes.

Walking into the kitchen, I see Gran is baking sweet rolls of dough with vanilla crème in the middle.

My stomach grumbles hungrily. Gran laughs as she hears it. "Hold it, Anna. They will be ready in fifteen minutes."

"Okay," I grumble, turning to walk down the hall to my small bedroom.

"Anastasia!" Gran shouts. I jump and turn around quickly.

"What?" I ask.

"Go take a shower. You smell like nature." She says, her wrinkled face frowning. I chuckle. Gran hated the smell. She was more of a cinnamon, home-based smelling person.

"Yes Gran," I say as my stomach grumbles once again.

"You better," she grumbles. "No fried dough for you until you get that stench off your skin."

I walk down the hall to the bathroom that was right by my bedroom.

Turning on the shower, I peel off my clothes and throw them in the hamper on the side of the bathroom. I wait for a few minutes for the water to heat up as I brush my hair with the long-toothed purple brush I had lying on the counter.

My hair was a rat's nest. It was tangled everywhere, and it took me a solid five minutes just to get through one section of my hair. I sighed and stepped into the shower with my brush in hand.

Maybe if all the salt from the rain was out, my hair would untangle easier.

Still, I had no such luck. So for fifteen minutes, I combed the snarls out of my hair as they fought against the nagging brush.

When I finally got my bleach blonde hair to a silky smooth feeling, I lathered it with my sweet cinnamon shampoo and conditioner.

I rinsed my whole body slowly, enjoying the feel of the water dancing off my skin and taking the smooth, bubbly soap with it. I would cover myself up in bar of soap, spreading it evenly over my body before the water would drip down my skin, taking the silky soap with it.

When I got out of the shower, my hands and fingers were prunes, and no doubt my feet were too. I wrapped myself up in a white towel and padded down the hall towards my room.

As I walked into the room, I realized I had left my cell phone at home today. I flip it open to see three missed calls and five texts, all from Clark.

-U okay?

-Sorry about what happened in English.

-My track coach yelled off his vocal cords for me txting u while running.

- Okay, u need to answer.

-I'm swinging by at 8 if you don't reply in fifteen minutes

I checked what time the text was sent. Luckily, it was only a few minutes ago. I dial Clark's number and hold my phone up to my ear, holding it with my shoulder as I move over to the drawers to find some clean clothes.

Clark answers on the third ring. "Anna? Are you alive?"

I chuckle. "Of course. No, wait, Clark. I've been abducted by aliens and shipped off to a far away planet."

"Hm. That's not good. You were still a virgin."

I would have slapped him had he been around. "Clark, you ass." I scold.

He laughs. "My pleasure. Hey, so you've been boring lately. How about we go to a club tonight?"

I weigh the options. "Clark, I really hate clubs. Plus, Gran is making fried dough. Why don't we just stay home?"

He sighs. "Because, Anna, you're being the most monotonous person I know. Now seriously, you owe me one."

"It seems like you owe me one for letting you copy my homework," I say back.

"Fine." He growls. "But please? Come on, Anna. You can wear a sexy dress and I'll wear…well, some jeans and you can go stand in the corner and watch people get wasted while I find a pretty girl to hook up with."

"Your such a player," I say smiling, although I meant it.

"Yeah, I guess. Now go ask your grandma."

"Let me call you back. I'm changing. I just got out of the shower."

"Wish I was there, then." I can hear Clark's foolish, dopey grin in his voice.

I scoff and shut the phone, ending the call.

Opening my door and still freezing from the air because I'm in my towel, I run to Gran.

"Gran?"

~*&&&*~

I called Clark back as I ran to my room, trying to find something to wear.

"Smcello?" He answers stupidly.

"You're an idiot," I mutter. "Sadly, I can go."

He whoops on the other end. "Sadly? Anna, I get to see you in a dress! It's a miracle!"

I roll my eyes. "Swing by around seven, okay?"

"Okay. See you soon."

"Bye." I say and shut the phone. Now, to find a dress.

I rummaged through the few hanging dresses I had, but to my dismay, none of them were too long. All were only down to my knees or higher, exposing my thighs.

I sigh, scuffling towards the back.

I grinned from ear to ear with what I saw.

It was a crimson red dress that was one-shouldered and looped down my chest, not exposing anything. Small clear sparkles danced across it. The dress ended around mid-calf to ankle, as it was on a slant-cut on the right side.

I slip it on quickly, adjusting it around my butt and chest so that I didn't look like a total slut.

I then rolled my hair into a sloppy bun on the top of my head and smeared some coral pink lip gloss that tasted like ripe cherries over my lips.

I stuck large, silver hoops into my ears and applied some mascara on.

For the finishing touch, I grabbed some black ballet flats that were lying in the back of my closet and slipped them on my feet.

I grabbed a small red purse and stuck my phone in, running out of my bedroom door right as the doorbell rang.

I hitched through the kitchen, grabbing a handful of fried dough and stuffing them into my purse.

"Bye Gran!" I shout as I run towards the door.

"Be back by midnight!" I hear her reply as I run out the door and into Clark's car.

As I climb in, I smile at Clark and open my purse to grab some fried dough rolls.

"Where to?" I ask him. He grins.


	4. The Strobe

_**Here is Chapter 4! Sorry it took so long. I know, I know. But I really hope you like it. **____** Happy reading!**_

_**~And please review.~**_

Chapter Four

"Please, Clark. The Strobe?" I ask skeptically as he pulls his old red Chevy into the back lot.

"Come on, Anna, cheer up. You'll have fun." He says as he pulls a hard right on the steering wheel to beat an old Chevrolet to a parking spot. "Plus, I get to see you in a dress! It's a miracle!" He throws his hands up in the air as I smack him.

"Shut up, Clark. You're not helping at all. I can't believe I even agreed to come."

"Ah, Anna. Just get out of the car and you'll have fun. Maybe you'll meet a guy." He wiggles his eyebrows. I laugh and step out of the car.

"You are so not getting a girl tonight, Clark, and you know it."

He looks at me in mocking pain, clutching his chest. "That hurt, Anna. Right here." He stabs his finger towards his heart.

I laugh. "You'll get over it."

I take his hand and together, we walk towards the entrance to get our hands stamped.

The body guard stares at me for a moment before Clark clears his throat, snapping the guard out of his trance and quickly stamping my hand.

"That ass," Clark mutters in my ear. I chuckle and lightly smack his cheek.

"You're the ass, Clark." I say jokingly.

He stares at me for a moment before brilliantly replying "At least my ass is something worth looking at."

I burst into a fit of hysteric giggles as he drags me onto the dance floor.

"Dance with me?" He turns on his heel under the pulsating lights and extends his hand. I laugh and take it cautiously.

"Of course," I say, trying to keep my voice from cracking with giggles.

Clark grabs my waist and pulls me a little too close. I shove my hands against his chest. "A little too close, Clark." I shout into his ear.

I feel his laugh vibrate through his chest. "Anna, you have to dance close or else someone else will steal you. It's crowded, if you haven't noticed."

Oh, I had noticed. The illusions were coming, and I could hear everyone's thoughts jumbling into a big, sloppy ball of thoughts. It was throbbing through my ears, but I tried to push it away. Clark wanted to dance and have some fun. I would push away the pain.

"Fine." I sigh, letting him drag me closer and slipping my hands over his shoulders.

Clark unwraps one of his arms to take my arms away from him, moving them down to his chest.

"What the hell…?" I murmur, letting the questioning look overfill my eyes.

He leans down into my ear. "Shoulders for formal dancing. This isn't formal. You'll look stupid if you put your arms around my shoulders."

I sigh and moves my hands down to his chest. If I hadn't been ready to date, I would have definitely dated Clark.

For one, because he was nice. But, also because he was really strong.

I could feel his biceps and six-pack ripple as he pulled me closer. I allowed my hands to roam over the planes of his chest as he smiled down at me.

He leaned in close and kissed me on the cheek. "I'm really glad you decided to come, Anna." He whispers in my ear. His voice is shaky, nervous.

Since when had Clark been nervous? He had always been a straight-forward, flirty type of guy that would walk by girls and give them goose-bumps down their arms. He was popular, and yes, he was gorgeous. No girl in their right mind didn't want him.

Including me.

I pondered these thoughts as we swayed rapidly under the strobe lights that sweeped around the club.

Maybe I was ready for a boyfriend. Maybe I could kiss Clark, and still be okay being just friends and having sleepovers.

Maybe I could do this. Maybe….

Clark's white dazzling smile pierced into my face as he leaned down hesitantly. I was still torn on whether or not I could do this, so I idiotically stood frozen.

His warm lips touched mine, molding easily around them. I just stood there as he kissed me.

I realized what he was doing, and made my decision.

I unfroze and let my lips move across his. When he felt that I had accepted, he kissed me harder, his hands moving up and down my back. I knotted one hand in his sandy brown hair, tangling locks of hair through my fingers. My other hand moved down to his back.

He kissed me passionately, his lips parting as he started to take in large gasps of breath from my lungs as I took in his breath.

I wasn't sure how we got here, but I was soon pressed up against a brick wall, my feet rubbing the backs of his legs. His arms were on either side of my face, keeping me against the wall.

I kissed him fiercely, even though a burning, raging fire was erupting in my lungs. My heart was pounding wildly, as was Clark's.

One of his hands moved down to my chest to feel my heartbeat. When he felt it beating wildly, he laughed huskily against my lips. I giggled against his, loving the way his soft lips felt against mine.

I push him away when I realize what I'm doing. I put my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath. Clark is panting as well, staring at me incredulously.

"Well…" He pants through gusts of air.

"Well…" I say shakily. "I'm going to go grab a breather outside."

"Okay," Clark says. "I'll…I'll just meet you back in here."

He leans in for a kiss again, but I turn my head to the side so it lands on my cheek. He pulls back and I see the hurt look on his face, but I sadly look at him and then run out the back door.

I run over to a low wall that has moss clinging to it. A tall fence stands against the back of the wall, making the perfect seat.

I fall onto the ledge, releasing the pressure off my shaky legs. What had I just done? I had probably led Clark to think I was ready to date. But I wasn't, I knew that.

I felt horrible. Things were going to be extremely awkward now, and I couldn't bear it. I wish I could take back the last fifteen minutes that I had kissed Clark and basically shoved my tongue down his throat.

I groan and let my head fall into my clammy hands. I was an idiot.

No, I was worse. I was a bitch that strung boys along. Or, at least, strung Clark along.

Thunder roared above my head as hard drops of rain slammed against my skin and the pavement beneath me. Clark's thoughts seeped into my mind.

"_I hope she doesn't hate me. Why the hell did I do that? Ugh, I'm an idiot. Things aren't going to be the same. I just hope she forgives me." _

I let hot flushed tears trail down my cheeks. They felt like lava flow compared to the icy droplets of rain that fell from the sky.

In the distance, I heard an owl cry to the black night.

My ears instantly became acute and aware of the sounds around me.

His song, his cry. It was about sadness and pain. He mourned for his lost family. For his young one and his mate that had passed away.

The owl was alone.

I could picture him in my mind's eye, and before I knew what I was doing, I was off, running towards the forest.


	5. Trails

_**I'm so sorry it took so long to upload! I'm sorry that the chapters are short too. Limited time, yeah?**_

_**Enjoy! (I hope) xD**_

Chapter 5

My feet thudded against the damp, dull earth as they sprinted over it. The canopy above me was dark, due to the lack of moonlight that was supposed to shine overhead. My dress wavered behind me as I flew past the trees and shrubs.

The animals backed away at my presence this time. I knew they could feel the pulse dragged me through the woods and to my destination.

I wasn't sure where that was, but I knew my bare feet would take me there. I had ditched the heels long ago.

Clark was in the back of my mind, like a loose thread on a pillow that hung loosely, only barely there.

I knew subconsciously that the illusions were the pull that dragged me through the woods. I wouldn't approve of that if I had my mind under my control. Sadly, the illusions were taking over, pulling me towards something that would either be nothing or something that would change my life.

I could hear the musky gray clouds rolling above my head, waiting for the perfect time to strike, always hitting its victim.

The thunder would cushion the aftershock, taking in the rolls of electricity that scattered through the sky.

My feet moved underneath me the whole time while my mind focused on three single things.

One; Where I was going.

Two; Who or what was waiting for me.

Three; The irrevocable urge to move forward.

I couldn't fight any of these. They were my mind, my instinct, and my heart at the moment. Nothing else mattered to me. Nothing else made sense.

My feet finally came to a stop in front of a small, closed off clearing.

The tall pines and oaks that surrounded me formed a circular clearing of sorts. The canopy let large, fleshy drops of rain pelt my skin. I lifted my face up and lapped around the droplets, catching a couple on my tongue and watching them as they dissolved.

To my right, a small, clear pond sat as the water moved restlessly around. Minnows darted in and out of the rocks, trying to find shelter. The water sloshed up and down the sides of the bowl-like pond as thunder clapped above me.

My feet were cushioned with a soft, over watered green grass that sifted between my toes. I wriggled the blades in and out, watching the glistening beads of water shine and fade from my sight.

I wasn't sure how I had missed it at first, but what I saw gaping in front of me surprised me. A small cave with a large oval opening stood before me, beckoning me forward. The gray chalky outer shell to the cave seemed as if paint was peeling off of it as the rain dribbled down the sides. A never-ending tunnel of black led into the cave.

I started walking towards the cave, my fingers itching to mold over the smooth gray stone.

My logical mind, the one that I knew and loved, was screaming at me to back away. To go back home or back to Clark.

But I couldn't pull away.

Thunder rolled over my head again and I picked up my pace, almost running towards the cave.

It seemed like I was going in slow motion. I wanted to get there, but it just took so long.

When I finally got there, I collected my thoughts and brushed off mud and extra rain droplets that clung onto me before walking in.

I had expected it to be dark and dreary, maybe a few spider webs here and there.

I found something totally different.

The walls of the cave were smooth and torches hung on holders every seven feet or so. The ground was smooth and dry, no excess pebbles straying out of their assigned places against the walls.

It was almost like a home.

I walked through the long cave, taking a bend towards the right.

A tap on my right shoulder sent me leaping into the air.

"Hello."

I spun around in a 180, putting a face with the voice.


End file.
